Apparatus for controlling the discharge of drips from oil-separators.



No. 767,709; PATENTED AUG. 16, 1904.

r M. P. OSBOURN. APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OFDRIPS FROM OIL SBPARATORS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1903.

I0 HODEL.

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UNITED STATES MILLARD P. OSBOURN, OF MEROHANTVILLE, NEIN JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WARREN WEBSTER AND COMPANY,

Patented August 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE 0F DRIPS FROM OIL-SEPARATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,709, dated August 16, 1904.

Application filed August 6, 1903.

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MILLARD P. OSBOURN, of Merchantville, Camden county, State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Controlling the Discharge of Drips from Oil-Separators, of which the fol' lowing is a specification.

In draining the drips from oil-separators, and particularly those placed between the engine and condenser and operating under a partial vacuum, much diificulty has been experienced in preventing the waste of steam under some conditions or a loss of vacuum under other conditions when the drips are discharged or drawn off.

It is the object of this invention to enable the discharge of the drips to be automatically controlled by the level of the drips in the separator or drip-chamber, so'that proper drainage may take place at all times without requiring any special attention from theengine driver and the escape and waste of steam from the separator or loss of vacuum will be entirely prevented.

In the drawing the figure is a side elevation of my improved apparatus for controlling the discharge of drips from an oil-separator operating under vacuum conditions.

(Z is an oil-separator, which the steam enters by the inlet 6 and leaves by the outlet 0. It may be of any suitable construction.

The separator is provided with a drip-chamber (Z, from which the oil and oily water are discharged through a suitable outlet 1).

In systems where a vacuous condition is normally maintained in the separator the contents of the drip-chamber (Z are discharged to a pump 6 through a suction-pipe f.

The discharge-pipe g from the pump leads to an elevated receiving and equalizing chamber It, the interior of which is connected with the interior of the separator by an equalizing-pipe 2'. From the equalizing-chamber h in the drip-chamber (Z. As shown, a lever r Serial No. 168,417. (No model.)

has its fulcrum in the drip-chamber (Z, with one arm inside of the chamber carrying the float s and the other arm outside of the chamber connected by alink q with a lever J con- 9 into the equalizing-chamber it until the normal low level is restored, when the steamvalve 71 will be closed and the pump will cease to operate. The contents of the drip-chamber will therefore never be entirely discharged, and consequently there can be no escape of steam from the separator.

By arranging the pump 0 at a lower level than the drip-chamber (Z, with the equalizingchamber. h at. a higher level, it follows that as the same partial vacuum is maintained in the equalizing-chamber as exists in the separator and its drip-chamber the contents of the drip chamber will drain by gravity through the discharge-pipe f and pump 0 and will ascend in the pipe g to the level of the contents of the drip chamber (Z. Consequently the pump will have only the work of lifting the column of liquid from that level to the equalizing-tank it. While this arrangement of the pump a at a lower level than the contents of the chamber (Z is desirable, it is not essential and the pump may be placed at a higher level.

The end of the discharge-pipe j from the equalizing-chamber h dips into the liquid seal in the pot is, and consequently the partial vacuum in the chamber lb and in the separator is maintained.

As the vacuous condition maintained in the equalizing-chamber it will support a column proportional to the pressure within the separator, it is desirable in ordinary plants that the length of the pipe 1' above the level in the seal-pot it should not be less than thirty-four feet. The contents of the chamber It may then drain freely through the pipe into the sealpot is and the outflow will be discharged through the pipe m. Provided the proper lengths be maintained in the pipes j g with 5 reference to the equalizing-chamber it and seal-pot k, it is immaterial what positions they occupy with reference to the separator.

A special advantage of my improvements is that they are entirely automatic and require 1 no regulation or attention from the enginedriver.

With the separator operating under conditions of partial vacuum the oil is positively removed at all times without any loss of vacuum and it is not necessary to produce a greater partial vacuum in the pump 6 than exists in the separator.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination with an oil-separator, of a pump connected with the drip-discharge thereof, a discharge line from said pump, means to seal said discharge-line to air while permitting the escape of liquids, and means 2 5 controlled by the level o1 the drips in the separator to control the operation of the pump. 2. The combination with an oil-separator, of a pump connected with the drip-discharge thereof, means controlled by the level of the 3 drips in the separator to control the opera-- tions of the pump, a discharge-pipe from the pump, a receiving-chamber with which said discharge-pipe communicates, means to equalize the pressure in said receiving-chamber and separator and a liquid-sealed discharge-pipe leading from said receiving-chamber.

3. The combination with an oil-separator,

of a pump connected with the drip-discharge thereof, means controlled by the level of the drips in the separator to control the operations of the pump, a liquid-sealed dischargeline leading from said pump, and means to equalize the pressures in said discharge-line and the separator,

L. The combination with an oil-separator, of a pump connected with the drip-discharge thereof, means controlled by the level of the drips in the separator to control the operations of the pump, a discharge-pipe from the pump, a receiving-chamber with which said discharge-pipe communicates, means to equalize the pressure in said receiving-chamber and separator, and a liquid-sealed dischargepipe leading from said receiving-chamber the height of said discharge-pipe from the receiving-chamber being at least equal to the height of the column supported by the partial vacuum maintained in the separator.

5. The combination with an oil-separator, of a pump connected with the drip-discharge thereof and arranged at a level substantially below said drip-discharge, means controlled by the level of the drips in the separator to control the operations of the pump, a discharge pipe from the pump, a receivingchamber with which said discharge-pipe communicates located at an elevation above said pump, means to equalize the pressure in said receiving-chamber and separator,and a liquidsealed discharge-pipe leading from said receiving-chamber.

In testimony of which invention 1 hereunto set my hand.

MILLARD P. OSBOURN.

Witnesses PHILIP SGHMITZ, AN'roNIo MECCA. 

